Clip for pens



7 June 19, 1951 E. s. WADE EIAL CLIP FOR BENS Filed March so, 1949 F/GZ.

AMUEL WADE ans] E 5y LH/IIEL SWORTH 4/V5Ey Patented June 19, 1951 CLIP FOR PENS Eric E. S. Wade, Eirkenhead, and Charlesworth Livsey, Wallasey, England, assignors to The Lang Pen Company Limited, Liverpool, Eng-1 land, a body corporate of Great Britain Application March 30, 1949, Serial No. 84,306

g In Great Britain May 7, 1948 2 Claims (01. 24-11) This invention relates to pocket clips for articles such as fountain pens, pencils and the like and has more especial reference to those mounted at one end of the instrument usually on the end of the cap or nib cover in the case of a fountain pen.

According to the present invention a pocket clip assembly for a fountain pen or like hollow article comprises in combination a member having an external cross slot with a base and a longitudinal aperture between an intermediate point in the base of said slot and the interior of the member, a clip including a, clip arm integral with a movable supporting lever arm approximately at a right angle to said clip arm, said lever arm being located in said slot and extending across the aperture in its base, a movable pull-rod connected at one end to said supporting lever arm and passing through said aperture, and an abutment on the other end of the said pull-rod which engages a compression spring which in turn engages the interior of the member to urge the supporting lever arm towards the base of the slot and thereby resist displacement of the clip arm away from the article.

In a specific embodiment the pull-rod is an eyebolt embracing a pin located in a hole through the lever arm and receiving a nut constituting the abutment, and the slotted end portion of the article is a separate fitting screw-threaded to engage a tapped hole in the end of the pen, pencil, nib-cap or the like.

When applied to a pocket clip in which the pull-rod is an eyebolt as aforementioned, the precompression of the spring can be adjusted by appropriately setting the nut on such eyebolt and where the slotted end portion is a separate fitting, such adjustment may conveniently be eifected before the fitting is screwed into the end of the pen, pencil, nib cap or the like.

The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings where a preferred embodiment of the improved clip applied to the nib cap or cover of a fountain pen is illustrated by way of example and wherein Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the cap partly in section to show the clip assembly,

Fig. 2 is a view of the screw plug for mounting the clip in the end of the cap in this embodiment, and

Fig. 3 is a section of the assembly taken at right angles to the sectioned portion of Fig. 1, While Fig. 4 shows the clip, eye-bolt, spring and abutment nut removed from the plug.

Referring now to the drawings, I generally designates the nib cap or cover consistin of a tube of vulcanite, ebonite or other plastic material arranged to be a push fit on, Or to be screwed on to a pen body or barrel so as to cover the nib when the pen is not in use.

The upper end of the cap is tapered at 2 and is interiorily screw-threaded at 3 to take a screw plug 4 closing this end of the cap and mounting a pocket clip generally designated 5 by which the fountain pen may be retained in the pocket.

In the particular embodiment illustrated, the

L screw plug 4 is of metal and the portion projecting from the tapered end of the cap I is furnished with a sheath 6 of vulcanite, ebonite or other plastic material having a tapering external surface 1 and a dome shaped end 8 to conform with the taper 2 on the cap I although, as will be understood, the sheath 6 and plug 4 may be a unitary component of metal, or of vulcanite, ebonite or other appropriate plastic material.

H] is a central diametrical cross slot formed in the domed end 8 of the sheath 6 in alignment with a corresponding slot I! in the screw plug, in which slots a portion of the clip lies and from which an aperture or axial bore 12 in the-screw plug 4 depends to take an eye bolt l3 when the parts are assembled.

The clip 5 is bent up from sheet metal to channel section and has a clip arm and a supporting lever arm l5 approximately at right angles to said clip arm. The lever arm is shaped to occupy the aligned diametrical slots IE! and l I in the end of the fitting, the external surface of the lever arm forming a smooth continuation of the domed end 8 of the sheath 6.

The channel Walls of the lever arm I5 are perforated at I6 to take a pin H which mounts between said channel Walls the eye [4 of the retaining bolt l 3, the stem whereof passes through theaxial hole l2 in the plug 4 and carries a coil compression spring l8 and a nut l9 both ac commodated in a cup-like recess 29 in the plug 4.

The spring I8 is centralised by a cylindrical guide shank 2| on the nut and abuts with a shoulder 22 at the top of the plug recess 20 to secure the lever arm ii of the clip in place in the slots in and II. The nut I9 is slotted at 23 for ready adjustment of the spring pressure.

As will be appreciated, when the arm of the clip 5 is moved away from the wall of the cap I the spring I8 is compressed and tends to urge the arm back to the position shown in Fig. 1, owing to the end of the lever arm I 5 bearing on the base of the slot I I. To this end the channel walls are continued to the end of the lever arm and have their extremities rounded at 24 to form a rolling fulcrum.

By the present invention an improved clip anchorage is obtained with which the grip on the pocket is independent of the inherent resilience of the material constituting the clip arm and in which the pressure on the arm can be readily adjusted.

What we claim is:

1. A pocket clip assembly for a fountain pen or like hollow article comprising in combination a member having an external crossslot formed above a base and a longitudinal aperture extending from an intermediate point in the base of said slot throughout said member andhaving a shoulder, a tiltable clip including a clip arm and a lever approximately at a right angle to said clip arm, said lever being located in said slot and extending across the aperture in its base, a movable pull-rod having an end pivotally connected to said lever and passing through said aperture, an abutment on they other end of said pullrod a compression spring operable between said abutment and said shoulder on the interior of the ERIC E. S. WADE. CHARLESWORTH LIVSEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,702,954 Title Feb. 19; 1929 1,717,001 Benson June 11, 1929 2,320,455 Feig June 1, 1943 2,468,699 Woods Apr. 26, 1949 

